You do not need a trip to the cinema to find great science fiction. The past few years have been unusually rich, and many of the best titles are already sitting on streaming, ready for a first watch or a second look. We have picked six recent films, all praised by critics and audiences, that hold up well on the sofa. For each one we say where to watch it in the UK, though catalogues do move around, so it is worth a quick check.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Denis Villeneuve's second chapter finishes Paul Atreides' journey across the sands of Arrakis. It is a blockbuster that treats scale as a matter of mood and silence, with sound and image built for the biggest screen you have. It streams on Sky Cinema and NOW, and is available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Shot largely on IMAX film, it makes the vastness of Arrakis feel genuinely tangible. Praised by critics and audiences alike, it took more than 700 million dollars worldwide and reignited the appetite for epic science fiction on the big screen, its sandworm-riding sequences quickly becoming iconic.
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 92% critics / 95% audience
"This is Middle-earthian in ambition, Nolan-esque in the dramatic intensity of its execution." Ben Travis, Empire
"Visually thrilling and narratively epic, Dune: Part Two continues Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the beloved sci-fi series in spectacular form." Critics Consensus, Rotten Tomatoes
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Takashi Yamazaki takes the monster back to its roots, in a Japan left in ruins after the war. Rather than wall-to-wall destruction, this is a drama about grief and rebuilding, and it won the visual effects Oscar on a tiny budget by Hollywood standards. It is on Netflix, including the striking black-and-white cut, and to rent on the usual stores.
Leaning on emotion rather than sheer spectacle, it stunned the world by becoming the first film in the franchise ever to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Its success proved that ingenuity can matter far more than money.
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 99% critics / 98% audience
"Here's proof that an action movie can have an effects-heavy climax that doesn't feel boringly generic." Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
"With engaging human stories anchoring the action, Godzilla Minus One is one kaiju movie that remains truly compelling between the scenes of mass destruction." Critics Consensus, Rotten Tomatoes
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Winner of seven Oscars, the Daniels' film uses parallel universes to tell a very down-to-earth story about a woman trying to hold her family together. Here science fiction is a way to talk about choices, regret and love, at a pace that never lets up. It is included with Amazon Prime Video, and you can also buy or rent it elsewhere.
Starting out as a small independent production, it grew into a global phenomenon, swept seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, and put Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan firmly back in the spotlight, leaving a huge cultural mark.
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 93% critics / 79% audience
"This is a radical film, about radical love and radical acceptance." Ben Travis, Empire
"Led by an outstanding Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once lives up to its title with an expertly calibrated assault on the senses." Critics Consensus, Rotten Tomatoes
The Creator (2023)
Gareth Edwards imagines a near future where humanity is at war with artificial intelligence. The result is a visually ambitious film made on a modest budget, shot largely in real locations to give the future world real texture. It streams on Netflix, and is available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Made on a modest budget yet looking remarkably grand, the film was praised for its cinematography and its unusually coherent visual world. It is often cited as proof that ambitious science fiction need not cost a fortune, even if critics were more divided on the story.
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 67% critics / 75% audience
"The Creator makes you realise that there really is little excuse for blockbuster dross." Alex Godfrey, Empire
"Visually stunning and packed with spectacular set pieces, The Creator serves up timely, well-acted sci-fi that satisfies in the moment even if it lacks substance." Critics Consensus, Rotten Tomatoes
Arrival (2016)
Also from Villeneuve, this is the film that brought thoughtful, grown-up science fiction back into fashion. A linguist tries to communicate with ships that appear over Earth, and the stakes are understanding rather than combat. It rewards repeat viewings, and is available to stream and to rent on the major platforms.
Anchored by Amy Adams's performance and a hypnotic score, the film earned eight Oscar nominations and won for Best Sound Editing. It is widely seen as one of the titles that restored serious artistic credibility to the genre.
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 94% critics / 83% audience
"Arrival is a beautifully polished puzzle box of a story whose emotional and cerebral heft should enable it to withstand nit-picky scrutiny." Dan Jolin, Empire
"It's a movie designed to simultaneously challenge viewers, move them and get them talking." Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
Nope (2022)
Jordan Peele blends horror, western and science fiction on a remote California ranch. Beneath the scares sits a sharp idea about spectacle and our need to look, with set pieces built for a big picture. It is available to stream and to rent on the major platforms.
Shot with IMAX cameras to heighten the vastness of the California skies, it delivers some of the director's most nerve-shredding sequences and confirmed Peele as one of the most original voices in genre cinema today.
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 83% critics / 69% audience
"An ambitious, provocative swing, Nope feels like that increasingly rare beast: an original blockbuster." Kambole Campbell, Empire
"Admirable for its originality and ambition even when its reach exceeds its grasp, Nope adds Spielbergian spectacle to Jordan Peele's growing arsenal." Critics Consensus, Rotten Tomatoes
Six very different films, tied together by a kind of science fiction that makes you think as well as gasp. If you are not sure where to begin, a look at the main streaming services shows which subscription already covers your shortlist. It can also pay to compare broadband deals before a weekend of watching, and bundled TV and broadband packages sometimes fold Sky or Netflix into a single bill.